


Coconuts

by ofshipsandswans



Series: Neverland Renaissance prompts [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Humor, Neverland Renaissance 2.0
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 08:09:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11271525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ofshipsandswans/pseuds/ofshipsandswans
Summary: Emma tries to grab a coconut in a tree, mind you, she’s not tall enough, Hook lifts her up.





	Coconuts

He hears her before he sees her.

Hook brushes aside a giant leaf, the flora of the Neverland Forest having grown considerably over the decades since his first visit.

Coming up to a clearing, he sees Emma leaping up and down, grunting in effort and batting her hand at something.  He looks up to see a coconut tree towering over her small form. Hook smirks in amusement at her antics; she’s not tall enough to reach the fruit but she tries again before huffing and kicking the stump of the tree in frustration. She puts her hands on her hips, glaring hard at the tree and even though he can only see her profile from where he’s watching, he can tell that her lips are in a thin line and her eyes are narrowed.

She really doesn’t take defeat easily.

It’s one of the things he’s come to admire about her.

As if to prove his point, she turns and her eyes sweep over to where he is. He ducks instinctively, but she doesn’t seem to notice him. Instead, her attention is on the forest floor and her eyes light up when she finds what she is seeking. Emma crouches down and picks up a branch, bending it slightly to test its durability, before nodding in satisfaction. She turns back to the tree and starts leaping again, this time batting the coconut with the stick.

Deciding to make his entrance whilst she is otherwise occupied, he steps into the clearing and clears his throat.

“Whatever has the tree done to deserve such harsh treatment?” he teases. She starts at his voice, turning around abruptly, eyes wide, and holding the branch in front of her like a weapon. He puts both arms up in a motion of surrender.

“You scared the crap out of me,” she accuses. He raises and eyebrow at the stick she’s pointing at him and she seems to notice, lowering it with a quiet “oh.”

“I was trying to get the coconut,” she explains, running a hand through her hair, before pointing at the offending drupe.

“And, it would seem, not having much luck,” he adds, taking the stick from her hand and waving it in front of her. She rolls her eyes and bats it aside, taking it back from him and continuing her earlier task.

Hook watches her, before shaking his head and sighing. He removes his hook and places it on the floor. She has stopped beating at the fruit and turned to look at him. He has crouched down and motioning to her. Emma raises an eyebrow at him in amusement and he can see a small smile grace her lips.

“What are you doing?” she asks walking over to him, looking down at him.

“Helping,” he replies “Hop on, love.”

“Seriously?” she shakes her head and grins at him. “A piggy back.” He nods. She doesn’t seem too convinced that this classifies as helping but moves behind him, her legs going over his shoulders and his arms locking around her ankles.

“Hook…” Emma begins, her tone uncertain. “Are you sure about this?”

Instead of replying, he straightens quickly which has the effect of her shrieking and locking her arms instinctively around his face. Blocking his vision.

“Swan, I can’t see!” he yells, a note of panic in his voice before her arms unlock, an apology tumbling from her lips and he has regained the ability of sight.

He moves towards the tree and she starts collecting the coconuts, throwing them on the ground of the clearing. He almost loses his balance once or twice and Emma glares down at him.

“Hold still, will you?” Emma snaps after he accidentally moved and she just missed a coconut.

“You may find this hard to believe, Swan, but carrying a significant weight on one’s shoulders is quite exhausting,” he retorts.

“Oh yeah?” she says as she plucks off another fruit. “Well, this _was_ your idea, buddy.”  

“Believe me, of all the times I’ve imagined you on top, this is not a scenario I had thought of,” he deadpans.

He curses loudly as a coconut lands on his head with a hollowed _thump!_

“Oops.” she giggles “sorry,” she says in a unapologetic tone. Hook narrows his eyes at her.

“You do realise that I have leverage here, Swan?” he mock threatens, jostling her to prove his point. She holds up a coconut in response, the look in her eyes daring him to try that again. He concedes, not wanting an irate and coconut-wielding Swan on his hand, or rather, his  shoulders.  They continue their coconut-gathering expedition without any further incidents.

After judging that they have enough fruit that can be carried by the two of them back to camp, he bends down to let Emma off. He retrieves his hook, placing it back into its brace.

They gather the coconuts, neither of them having had the foresight to bring a basket so they have to carry the fruit in their arms. They begin to make their way back to camp.  It’s a silent trek, before Emma stops and turns to look at him.

“Swan?” he asks, concerned. “What is it?”

She holds his gaze for a moment before looking away, a shy smile creeping onto her lips. “I, uh, I just wanted to, um, to thank you.” she says at last.

He nods at the coconuts in his arms. “It was no trouble,” he replies but Emma shakes her head.

“No, not that, well, that too but,” she sighs before looking back at him “I mean for offering to bring us here. Back in Storybrooke. You didn’t have to do that. So, thank you.”

He steps closer to her, tilting her chin up to meet his gaze with his hook and hears her breath hitch.  "There’s no need to thank me, love. I’m sure you would have found another way to reach here without me.“ He whispers. He knows her well enough to say that with utter conviction.

“I’m glad you came back though,” she replies, a smile tugging at her lips and he smiles back.

“Aye. Me too.”    

Later, by the glow and warmth of the campfire, they share a drink together from a coconut.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


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